How being gay in Chelmsford has changed since the first G Sunday 15 years ago

2017 has been a monumental year for LGBTQ people - and not just those in Chelmsford.

It's been 50 years since homosexuality was finally decriminalised in England and Wales.

This summer saw Pride events up and down the country celebrate the landmark anniversary - with Essex's own taking place at Chelmsford's Central Park in June.

Many LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer) people in the city are all too familiar with G Sundays, the weekly club night hosted at Bar and Beyond on Moulsham Street.

G Sundays, which has been hosted at various bars around the city, recently celebrated its 15th anniversary with a big bash.

For many years there has been a gay scene in Chelmsford, but G Sundays remains the largest weekly gay-friendly night in the county.

As this October marks a milestone anniversary for the night, we decided to find out what it's like to be LGBT in Chelmsford 15 years on from the first G Sunday.

Robby Dee, the promoter responsible for bringing the weekly event to Chelmsford, said: "It originally took place at the Army and Navy and it was there for 10 years before it went to Chicagos.

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"It was called 'Delicious' then.

"There were nights even before the ones at the Army and Navy, before male and females ones were mixed, they were separate nights."

Even though more than a decade has passed, Robby can still remember the first night he hosted in Chelmsford.

"It was very quiet, it took a while to build up.

"A lot of LGBT people were still worried about coming out back then."

Despite the initial quiet start, within a few weeks hundreds began to attend from all over Essex and even furtherafield.

An average Sunday will see around 200 people party at Bar and Beyond, but Bank Holidays will see the venue full to capacity.

When asked why Sunday was the chosen night, Robby said: "It was always on a Sunday, so we just carried it on.

"We wanted to keep the history going."

Bar and Beyond

Since G Sundays debuted, there have been several historical moments for LGBTQ people, including the introduction of same sex marriage in 2014 and the Gender Recognition Act 2004, which allowed trans people to acquire a new birth certificate.

This year has also seen the launch of POSH - a monthly LGBTQ night hosted at Maisons bar on Moulsham Street - organsied by Marnie Davies.

Marnie decided to organise the event because she felt the time was for there to be more choices for LGBTQ people.

"I absolutely love G Sundays," said 22-year-old Marnie, who is local to Chelmsford.

"But like most people I work Monday to Friday so the latest I can be out on a Sunday is 11pm.

"So I thought I could organise it for my friends and my community."

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Unlike most cities around the UK, Chelmsford does not have a dedicated area 'gay scene'.

Recent figures have revealed that people in the East of England are the least likely in Britain to describe themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual.

Some 1.2 per cent of people in the region told the official Annual Population Survey that they were lesbian, gay or bisexual in 2016.

This was equivalent to one person in every 83 in the East of England - the lowest share in the UK.

It would mean there were about 59,000 people in the region who said they were lesbian, gay or bisexual in 2016.

The vast majority of people in the East of England - some 94.6 per cent - said they were heterosexual.

Unsurprisingly, London had the largest share of LGB people of any region in the UK, at 2.7 per cent.

Essex Pride

But aside from the options of where LGBTQ people socialise, how do people feel the city has changed in 15 years?

April Missing, 43, set up the Chelmsford LGBT group on Facebook as a way of filling the void left by the closure of Smiths bar, which she feels was a central hub for the community.

"It's just taken off from there," said April, who is from Chelmsford.

"It's been quite slow but it's one of the biggest groups in the region and it's a mixed group."

But despite the amount of time that's passed since the first G Sundays, April doesn't feel a lot has really changed for the LGBT community.

She said: "Having been brought up here, the LGBT community still isn't really catered for.

"The younger residents may feel able to go out to the normal bars with friends - but some of the older ones in the community still aren't quite as confident.

"People are more tolerant. I think people are more confident about going out."

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April has admitted that while she has never had any negativity while out in the city, she knows people who have experienced homophobia.

She also feels that although it's positive that nights like POSH and G Sundays take place, other establishments are doing their bit for the community as they cater for very different markets.

"I think it's a shame," she said.

"I don't think a lot of places would want an LGBT night on a Friday or a Saturday.

"But the community is so diverse I'm not sure how somebody could cater for everybody.

"The LGBT community is great at saying nothing is happening but then they don't support new nights."

As a gay man who moved to Chelmsford in January, my own perceptions of what it's like to be LGBTQ in the city are very mixed.

On the one hand, this is a relatively small city so it's hardly surprising there isn't a dedicated gay bar - I lived near Sheffield for nearly 15 years where the gay scene was practically non-existent.

But then again, a city which does seem to have a decent number of LGBTQ people in it could surely benefit from more events on mainstream nights like a Friday or Saturday.

I myself cannot think of a time I have experienced homophobia while living in the area but that's not to say it won't happen.

Having spent five years studying in Newcastle, I am quite spoilt in that I was able to enjoy going out in a vibrant and varied gay scene - something I've not been able to enjoy in Chelmsford.

On the few Mondays I've had off in nine months, I've been able to go to Bar and Beyond on a Sunday and see what the place has to offer the community - it's not been that busy but people do seem genuinely pleased to have a place to go they can call their own.

I just hope that in the future those LGBT nights can be built up - but not so straight people feel they can't go, which has been seen at certain bars and clubs up and down the country.

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